If you're looking for something to watch on TV as you recover from roast dinners and too much sherry, here's a selection of some real Christmas crackers

There are plenty of great festive TV shows: here are the ones you shouldn't miss

With vast quantities of turkey consumed, trifles congealing slowly in your arteries, and the will to leave the sofa diminishing with every passing second, it's time to enjoy some festive TV. So, what is there to enjoy on the gogglebox this Christmas? Plenty. Here’s a selection of the best.

Mary Berry's Christmas Party - 8:30pm on December 17 - BBC One

If you're still feeling sore about Bake Off's move to Channel 4, you might want to stick with the BBC, where Mary Berry will be presenting two festival specials: Mary Berry's Christmas Party and Mary Berry's Country House.

Secrets of Cinema - 9pm on December 20 - BBC Four

Fans of Mark Kermode and Kim Newman's film documentary series Secrets of Cinema will be pleased to know that the pair had a secret up their sleeve: a sixth episode dedicated to the history and tropes of Christmas movies, breaking down why our favourite festive films work.

Watership Down - 7pm on December 22 & 23 - BBC One

Yet another big budget adaptation with an impressive cast, this new take on the none-more-gritty animal tale Watership Down will be spread out over two feature-length episodes on the 22nd and 23rd.

In addition to an original song by Sam Smith, the cast includes John Boyega, Olivia Colman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Peter Capaldi and Mackenzie Crook.

The Dead Room - 10pm on Christmas Eve - BBC Four

Doctor Who and Sherlock writer Mark Gatiss offers his take on the Christmas ghost story with this half-hour drama starring Simon Callow as a radio horror series presenter who discovers that something sinister is going on in his radio studio. Gatiss is almost always great, so we have high hopes for this one.

Strictly Come Dancing - 5:30pm on Christmas Day - BBC One

Here's another reality/contest show making a special appearance at Christmas. Strictly is once again putting on a seasonal special episode - head to our Strictly guide to find out more as we know it.

Call the Midwife - 7:45pm on Christmas Day - BBC One

Another stalwart of Christmas Day is Call the Midwife, which this year welcomes Miriam Margoyles as Sister Mildred, a nun who arrives at Nonnatus House with four Chinese orphan refugees. The BBC says “these unexpected visitors cause joy and chaos in equal measure”.

Mrs. Brown's Boys - 10:15pm on Christmas Day - BBC One

Not everyone's a fan (this writer certainly isn't) but Mrs. Brown and her titular boys are back on our screens again this Christmas with not one but two festive specials during the season.

The first is airing at 10:15pm on Christmas Day, with a follow-up at 10pm on New Year's Day.

The Great British Bake-Off Christmas Special – 8pm on Christmas Day - Channel 4

What the Christmas season needs more of is doughy food, and Channel 4 is happy to oblige. The Great British Bake-Off is coming back again this year for another Christmas special, followed by a New Year's special too, at 7:40pm.

There will be plenty of kneading, proofing, and eagerly staring into ovens with a slightly panicked look in their eyes. Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will judge proceedings, while Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding provide the icing on the cake.

The Midnight Gang - 7:30pm on Boxing Day - BBC One

Here's another thing that's become a bit of a Christmas tradition. David Walliams will star in another adaptation of one of his own children's books, this time The Midnight Gang. It follows a group of kids at Lord Funt Hospital on the quest for adventure as their fellow patients sleep, with Walliams playing a headmaster.

The ABC Murders - 9pm on Boxing Day - BBC One

Sticking with the darker side of the season, The ABC Murders is this year's now habitual Agatha Christie adaptation. John Malkovich will play the iconic Poirot, joined by Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, in this three-part series that we're expecting to air around New Year's.

Les Miserables - 9pm on December 30 - BBC One

Dominic West stars as Jean Valjean in this six-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables from the BBC, expected to be one of the season's highlights.

He'll be joined by a star-studded cast including David Oyelowo, Lily Collins and Olivia Colman, though it's worth noting one major change here: unlike most other recent adaptations, this won't be a musical.

Doctor Who - 7pm on New Year's Day - BBC One

Missing its now traditional Christmas Day slot, Doctor Who will instead appear on New Year's Day as new star Jodie Whittaker enjoys her first ever seasonal special.

We don't know much about what to expect but we know she'll face off against “a terrifying evil stirring from across the centuries of Earth’s history.” We also don't know if the New Year's slot means this episode won't be as Christmassy as usual, but hopefully we'll find out more soon enough.